The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-06-11

Charles Loften took a car and rode
out TO thn end OF the line. then he walk
cd on for some distance aud turned up
the hin TO the left and took the road
which leads down through Dead Mans
Canon.
AS he walked down the rongh road
hu noticed little child playing around
pile Of wood which her father had
been chopping.
Farther down he saw two girls ut a
spring. and as the younger drank from
n tin pail she said to her sister, what
splendid water this Is.
Two men drawing stone left their
horses and went To The girls for drink.
Some negroes were laughing and
talking around rough house on the
side OF the BLUFF.
All these things Loften noticed as he
walked, and he also noticed two mon.
evidently tramps. who sat on a stone in
n lonely part of the canon talking in
low tones, which ceased entirely as he
came nearer.
Loften went out through the canon
and crossed the tracks to the brewery.
where he was going TO look AT some
new machinery.
After he had examined the machine
he went up on the roof OF the building.
from which there was an excellent view
OF the valley.
He watched the river winding way
past cultivated lands and patches of
forests, dust sandy flats and rocky
bluffs. He noticed the tall sycamorcs.
with their white bark. scattered over
the valley. In the distance he could
see the piled-up stone and the tall
masis of the derricks for moving il
where great bridge was being built,
and near by the cluster OF houses cover
cd with tar paper. where the workmen
lived. On the outside was the city
with It's towers and chimncys. and over
all the dark cloud of smoke curling
upward. And then there was the
river again. and more flats and more
bluffs and more cultivated land, forest
and whitebarked sycamores.
Loften went down and started for
home As he went up the canon the
men still sat on the stone whispering
together. and again stopped when he
camc near.
II was growing dark. The men who
had been drawing stone had left their
wagon by the road and gone for the
night. He met one old negro carrying
pail Of water. There was no talking
before the house now. The spring was
deserted. and the water ran quietly
down the hill. The little girl and the
man who had been chopping wood
were gone too.
Near the head of the canon Lofteu
met a well dressed man going down.
They nodded as they passed and said
something about the bad walking.
Loflcn noticed that black clond.
were gathering. and when he reached
the top of the blutf il had become quite
dark lie took car and went home
aud rs he went into his house he heard
tho roar Of distant thunder.
AS the flashes OF lightning for .
second illumincd the lower end of the
Dead Mans Canon we'll dressed mar
lay In the road near the rock where th,
two tramps had been whispering to
gcther--bnt the tramps were gone.
IL was still moonlight when Oh,
quarry-men started for their work.
The storm had gcnc by and the SKY
was bright with stars.
As they entered 'he canon the pal
ing OF the moon indicated that the SUI
would soon be- up and the sky was al
ready growing red in the east A
light mist Heated among the tops o
the sycamore trees on the flats.
Suddenly the men stopped.
Right before them on the road lay
man. His clothes were soaked BY th
rain. which had fallen In torrents. an'
his white cola and cuffs were soile'
with mud. His head was covered wit
mud and blood. and an ugly cash in hi
throat showed how hc bad died.
One Of the men at once started 70